The National Portrait Gallery was initially given three months to raise the funds to acquire Antony Van Dyck's exceptional 1640-1641 self-portrait. The initial export bar expired on 14 February 2014, but has now been extended to 13 July 2014 after the campaign raised over £3.5m.

Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: 'The five month extension demonstrates and reflects the incredible support shown towards this most crucial of campaigns. We've seen huge interest and generosity on all fronts. But the job is not yet done, and I'm pleased to announce that we’ve just launched several new social media initiatives – further ways for everyone to show support for the campaign.'